Working drawings
Periscope project
NOTES:
The mirrors I found were sort of triangular, but rounded. They were just long enough to fit in the tee with the narrow end resting on the side connection and the wider end just touching the wall opposite.
I taped the mirror in the tee, adjusting it so that, as I looked in through the center of the side connector, I could see the entire opening of the top connector. Then I used some "Goop" brand stickum to hold it in place permanently.
The elbow was a bit tricker, but, with some tape and a piece of foam rubber I was able to get it into place and Gooped. I'm going to see if I can't come up with a way to angle the mirror manually (springs, wires, etc.) so that I can change the view from strictly horizontal to look at something other than the treetops. May have to trim the elbow a bit to allow a lower view.
When you're looking for the pipe and fittings, try to find the thin-wall variety -- cheaper.
For the final touch, I got a downspout adapter (the really thin black plastic kind) that would fit into the tee. The other end of the adapter is a rectangle about 6"X3" and can be trimmed with an art knife to fit forehead and nose to make a "real" submarine periscope eyepiece!
Check the pictures section to see the finished elements.
PARTS LIST (basic):
NB: All PVC is the thin-wall variety (cheaper and lighter)
1 PVC drain pipe 4" X 10'
1 PVC ell or street ell, 4"
1 PVC tee, 4"
2 mirrors (I used Goody model 1402 which I found in the HBA section of the Ace where I got the rest of the stuff)
"Goop" or other brand stickum
If you want the periscope to swivel:
1 PVC 4" to 5" adapter
1 PVC 4" threaded adapter
For either:
Plastic pipe hangers for 4" PVC pipe